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Do you remember the last time you experienced a job rejection? Was it recent, or did it happen years ago? Regardless of the timeline, I bet it's fairly easy to recall. That's because we naturally emphasize the painful moments in our lives.

Nonetheless, these moments can be transformative if you use them to your advantage.

Common Rejections in Corporate

Before we get too far, let's elevate the conversation a bit. Working in corporate is fraught with opportunities for rejection. Do any of these rejections ring a bell for you?

• Negotiations: I once asked for an additional $5,000 on top of a job offer -> Rejected.
• Performance Reviews: You believe you deserve an “exceeds expectations” rating but receive a “meets expectations” instead -> Rejected.
• Personality: You're an introvert but you've been told, nonstop, that networking is key! Introversion -> Rejected.
• Appearance: Like colorful hair and an eclectic style? Most times, this does not fit the corporate culture -> Rejected.
• Reductions in Force: You could be a top performer but still be laid off -> Rejected.

Sadly, the above isn’t an exhaustive list, but it highlights how rejection can manifest in corporate settings. 

DID YOU KNOW?

According to Glassdoor, the average job seeker goes through 27 applications before securing a job, meaning they face approximately 26 rejections during their job search!

However, job seekers who continued their job search after initial rejections ended up receiving 20% higher salary offers on average compared to those who accepted their first offer without facing rejections 

Strategies for Handling Rejections

As a person whose made it through my fair share of rejections during my corporate climb, here are a few strategies I leverage in the face of rejection:

Draw Hope from Past Rejections

Reflect on previous rejections in your life—from being cut from a sports team to being denied admission to your first-choice college. These setbacks were tough, but you pushed through with resilience. Job rejections and other corporate rejections are no different. 

Learn from the Rejection

Use the application process or the specific scenario as a learning opportunity. If you’re job hunting, reflect on your resume, elevator pitch, and interview strategy. For other rejections, consider why they occurred and what you can learn. For example, if your introverted personality doesn’t fit the culture, perhaps other roles within the company might better suit you.

Maintain a Positive Mindset

In a corporate environment where rejection is common, you can’t afford to let each one set you back. Try leveraging affirmations, such as "I am resilient, and I grow stronger with each setback" or "Every rejection is a redirection to something better for me."

Keep one or two affirmations top of mind; you'll be surprised how well they work! 

Ideally, by reading my strategies, you will feel encouraged to either leverage these, or develop your own game plan for future disappointments. 

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." - Maya Angelou 

Key Considerations for Future Encounters

As you put your game plan into practice, I also want you to keep these things in mind:

1. Rejections are everywhere - not just in corporate, but in your personal life as well. Your game plan will undoubtedly help you in many aspects.
2. If every rejection takes you a couple of steps back each time, your career growth will be significantly impacted. In the same vein, if you can learn from each rejection, your career growth will again be significantly impacted - but in a good way ;-)
3. Taking the time to develop your strategy for coping with rejections can prove to be just as valuable as taking the time to study for a certification. Invest in the time upfront, and you will see your resilience grow exponentially.

So, do you have a different approach to managing through rejections? Reply and share your thoughts! I'd love to feature you in a future newsletter.

Best,

Danielle 

Whether you're an entry-level employee or a senior leader, effectively managing one-on-one meetings with your manager is crucial. These sessions can vary in length and frequency, but their importance is universal. 

Moreover, implementing a well-structured plan can lead to improved performance reviews, higher promotion rates, and greater job satisfaction! I know this because, luckily, it's been a while since I've blindly allowed my manager to drive the outcome of my 1:1's ;-)

Recommended Approach to Managing 1:1's

The truly effective employee will have a structured plan for each session, ensuring long-term success even when occasional off-script occurrences happen. 

To execute productive and effective one-on-one meetings, focus on four key topics: 1) Accomplishments, 2) Current Priorities, 3) Questions/Concerns, and 4) Administrative Items.

One-on-One Topics Explored

The following four topics are important for different reasons, but they are all necessary. 

1. Accomplishments: Have you ever been to a performance review only to realize your manager wasn't aware of half your contributions? It's your responsibility to advocate for yourself. Take a few minutes at the start of each one-on-one to showcase your recent achievements, whether significant projects or minor tasks.
2. Current Priorities: Providing a quick overview of your current priorities helps keep your manager informed and ensures alignment on tasks (this also includes tasks assigned by others in the organization). Sharing your priorities helps avoid miscommunications and ensures you're focused on what matters most.
3. Questions/Concerns: Use your one-on-one sessions to address any lingering questions or concerns; however, be mindful of the complexity of the issues raised. If a topic requires an in-depth discussion, consider scheduling a separate meeting. For typical one-on-one sessions, limit this section to about 15 minutes. 
4. Administrative Items: The final portion of your one-on-one should cover administrative items such as vacation requests, training needs, access issues, and more. These may seem minor but can have significant impacts if overlooked. Keeping your manager informed about these items ensures nothing slips through the cracks and helps maintain smooth operations.

Since these sessions are reoccurring, be sure to save your notes after each session, and begin a fresh new copy for the next. 

Conclusion

Formalizing one-on-one meetings by reviewing achievements, questions/concerns, current priorities, and administrative items has greatly improved my experience, and I hope you’ll find the same to be true for you. 

Have a personal tip or experience to share? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email. 

Have you ever wondered why some people ascend through corporate America very quickly, while others don't? If so, this article is for you. The key to rapid advancement lies in understanding how to play—and win—the corporate game.

Think of it like Monopoly. Sure, you know the basic rules: roll the dice, move your piece, make or lose some money, and finish the game. But winning requires more than just playing; it demands strategy. You need to know which properties to buy, which to avoid, and understand the statistical probabilities of dice rolls. Intentionality is crucial.
When I received my first promotion to Senior Vice President - in a relatively short period of time - I received numerous requests for advice on climbing the corporate ladder. Here are some common scenarios I encountered:

Common Grievances Amongst Corporate Professionals

"I'm the smartest person on my team, but I keep getting passed up for promotions."

"I've applied for hundreds of positions but can’t get my foot in the door."

"I completed a mentorship program, but I'm not getting the opportunities I was promised."

Unfortunately, these individuals often had blind spots. They didn't realize that success requires more than working hard or doing a great job. You’ll need to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right amount of preparation. Specifically, here are four key attributes you’ll need to ascend:

Four Key Attributes to Ascend in Corporate America

     1. Education: 

It doesn't always mean a degree. There are certification programs, webinars, books, blogs, YouTube videos, and more. In this day and age, there are no excuses for not gaining knowledge.

2. Connections: 

Remember that persistent, low-level employee who annoyed you when he first started? Spoiler alert—he will become an executive. Networking is critical, and you may find yourself reaching out to him on LinkedIn in a few years.

3. Emotional Intelligence: 

Corporate life isn't always rainbows and lollipops. Show that you can handle even the most frustrating scenarios with grace.

4. Resilience: 

My partner recently asked me a philosophical question, “How many no’s does it take to get to a yes?” After a big eye roll lol, I admitted that I didn’t know. The point is, you need the grit to endure rejections and stay motivated until you get that yes.

The list of necessary skills is long and their applications are endless. You'll need skills for resumes, cover letters, social networking, applications, interviews, salary negotiations, 30-60-90 plans, team dinners, town halls, corporate travel, performance reviews, volunteer events, affinity groups, professional photos, job transfers, and more.

Indeed, succeeding in corporate America requires a variety of skills and it’s critical to be intentional about each aspect of your career. Fortunately, I’m here to help! I’d love to provide support as you navigate those blind spots and climb the corporate ladder like you've always wanted.

Have you hit a ceiling on your way up the corporate ladder? Let me know where, and I’ll share how I’ve handled that roadblock in the past. 

Are you nervous about something new, like negotiating a raise or building a team? I’ve been there before, and I look forward to guiding you through it. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Get ready to reach the top, and I'll be there to welcome you with open arms.

Do these 3 things and opportunities will flow your way. 

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been working in your field for 15+ years, networking is critical. That old saying “it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know” is actually true! 

Examples of Networking Paying Off

Consider the following 2 examples and think about which candidate you would choose.

Example #1: If you had to choose between a candidate that seems to be very knowledgeable in project management and a candidate that was recommended by your long-time family friend, who would you choose?

I’m taking the candidate that my long-time family friend suggested. Why? Because I trust my friend. The last time I trusted someone who appeared to be very smart turned out to be good at interviewing but lackluster in everything else. 

Example #2: If you had to choose between a candidate that seems to be very knowledgeable in project management and a candidate that happens to know your distant friend from an affiliation to a non-profit, who would you choose?

I’m taking the candidate who happens to know my distant friend. Why? Because, if they know my distant friend, they must be a good person, right? Wrong. But most people will STILL choose the person they have some, albeit minimal, connection to. This is why networking is huge. 

What Networking is Not

While many people understand the significance of networking, they have a false sense of what networking actually is. Are you:

• Passing your resume to as many people as you can on a daily basis? 
• Sending hundreds of LinkedIn requests to people you don’t know? 
• Filling your days with back-to-back coffee chats to tell everyone what you're looking for in your next career move? 

If you answered yes to any of these three questions, you are officially doing what I like to call notworking. Because these strategies DO NOT work. If anything, you might be pushing people away.

Three Strategies to Network Effectively

Luckily for you, networking is much less work than the strategies most people hear about. To network effectively, you simply need to:

1) Be a nice person

It's amazing how far being a nice person can take you. When you are kind to others, they unconsciously feel the need to do kind things for you (like go out of their way to pass your resume to a friend). More specifically, you can start being a nice person by helping people, giving genuine compliments, and practicing active listening.

Help People: There’s enough opportunity in the world for everyone. You can still help someone with their resume without thinking you’ve created more competition for yourself. You can also help your peer complete a task for your manager without being concerned about that person ranking higher than you during performance reviews. Helping people will ultimately help you, because that same person you helped will go the extra mile when you need it most.

Give genuine compliments: If you’re trying to give compliments just as small talk, it’s easy to see right through those. For instance, if you say, "that was a great presentation," it's a nice statement to make, but it doesn't set you apart. On the other hand, if you say, "great presentation earlier, I love how you incorporated live polling with the WebEx to include the audience," that makes the other person feel like you genuinely enjoyed the presentation. It’s these moments that many times come full circle - you may find yourself interviewing with that same leader one day. And you know what, they will remember you because you were the nice person who complimented the inclusion of WebEx polling, which they spent a large amount of time preparing. 

Practice active listening: When you’re having conversations with people, actually listen to them. Don’t let everything go in one ear, and out the other, just waiting on your opportunity to ask the next question. Active listening is important, regardless of who you are speaking to: employer, partner, child, etc. I’m sure you’ve experienced conversations on the phone where you said something to which you’re expecting a response, but you don’t get one. Why? Because they are busy texting someone else. Well, talking to someone face to face while you are just thinking about what you’ll ask next feels the same way. Listen, and ask pointed questions so that it’s clear you are interested in the discussion and you value that person’s thoughts. 

2) Be relatable

Think of a time when you went on a date and you couldn’t relate to the person at all. Did you want a second date? Probably not. The same applies to networking. You have to be relatable. Is there a cool hobby you can talk about? Like gardening, swimming or making ceramic pots (I know, pretty unique, but that’s the point!). Are you going through an annoying situation at home (not something too far left) that you can share? Like how your dog keeps knocking over the trash can in the kitchen? Talk about it. Be open, honest, and even vulnerable. People relate to that, and those deeply rooted connections will last a life time. 

3) Be consistent

Meaning, don’t start being a nice person or attempting to relate to someone just because you found out they have a new job posting you’re interested in. If you’re nice and kind only when you want/need something, it won’t work. It makes people feel like they’re being used, and that definitely won’t make you a front runner in the hiring process. Therefore, it’s essential to be consistent in your pursuit to connect with people; whether you are already in your dream job or you are in-between jobs, always keep in touch with people you know and frequently make connections with new people by being a nice person and relating to others. The next time you're looking for your next opportunity, it will be much easier if you have executed all three. 

• The hiring manager will be the person you sent a pointed e-mail to regarding a project at work that they executed flawlessly (nice person)
• You’ll spend the first 10 minutes of your next interview helping the interviewer with tips about how to grow eggplants in her garden (relatable)
• And most importantly, you’ll be applying to work in an organization that you connected with 6 months back, when you weren’t looking to move but were interested in learning more about that department, and they remembered your informal touch base (consistency)

Remember these three things and networking will happen naturally. Keep me posted on how you’re networking is going! And don’t worry, you can thank me later for saving you hours applying for infinite positions, adding random people to your LinkedIn, and drinking endless cups of coffee while trying to think of intelligent things to say. Happy Networking!